#health

jasonmachowsky

5 min

Destination Thailand: A Healthy Honeymoon? (Part 1)

Kayaking in Railay Bay Howdy everyone, I just returned from beautiful (and sometimes rainy) Thailand! Two weeks of amazing fun with the woman that I love, and am now married to! We spent one week trekking around, exploring a friendly, welcoming country full of history and nature (including monkeys and elephants). The other week was spent relaxing (and climbing, kayaking, etc.) on the confines of a pristine beach surrounded by natural limestone cliffs. Needless to say, I wa

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jasonmachowsky

4 min

How Do You Deal with Game Changers?

Getting Married: A Game Changer? Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net I’m getting married on Sunday, yay! I’ll be away for the next few weeks (will be back end of Sept.) but wanted to leave you with a post that’s relevant to my current situation and applicable to us all during many other times in life. Are you prepared for game changers? Imagine you’ve started eating healthier (soup and salads a few days per week at lunch, cooking healthy dinners at home, preparing snacks on Sunday

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jasonmachowsky

7 min

Who Should Eat a Gluten-Free Diet?

Whole Wheat: Friend or Foe? Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net *Warning: A long post, but please stick with me here and let me know what you think. Gluten-free foods have become all the rage the past five years, from quinoa pasta to rice-based crackers. Many people swear by eating gluten-free: more focus, weight loss, greater energy, you name it. But do you really need to give up gluten entirely? Understanding the causes of and differences (or lack thereof) between gluten intole

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Inside the Trainer’s Brain: My Training Philosophy

jasonmachowsky

4 min

Inside the Trainer’s Brain: My Training Philosophy

The Brain Behind the Blog I want to provide you with a look into what’s going on in my brain (scary!) when I’m creating training programs for my clients. Because if you can learn and understand the basic tenets of creating effective workouts and exercise routines, the more empowered you will be to stay active, healthy and most importantly, injury-free! This post is focused on my general training philosophy, not necessarily specific exercises. While this post is a bit more

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jasonmachowsky

3 min

Weight Loss Drugs: Help or Hype?

A Pill a Day? Or Eat Better and Exercise? Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net With the recent FDA approval of two new weight-loss drugs, Qsymia and Belviq, I wanted to briefly discuss the potential benefits and risks of the existing FDA-approved weight loss medications (yes, by prescription) which are: Qsymia Belviq Xenical (Orlistat) and its smaller-dosed, over-the-counter (OTC) equivalent: Alli. Yep, until about two months ago, the only other weight-loss drug on the market was app

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Want to Lose Weight? Eat Better, Not Less

jasonmachowsky

2 min

Want to Lose Weight? Eat Better, Not Less

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net It is entirely possible to eat all day and lose weight. The key is what you choose to eat. When you eat, your body’s goal is to get all of the necessary nutrients (carbs, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals and water) into your system regardless of the number of calories you consume. Of course you must eat a minimum number of calories to keep your body functioning properly, but the calories themselves are just one variable. The other important fact

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jasonmachowsky

3 min

Can Diet Sodas Lead to Weight Gain?

A Refreshing Can of Weight Gain? Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net A recent review of the research surrounding diet beverage consumption shows that the more you drink, the greater your potential changes for gaining weight. In theory, diet beverage consumption should lead to weight loss if it replaces a higher-calorie drink. Swapping one can of Coke for one can of Diet Coke each day with no other changes should lead to a ten pound weight loss per year. Unfortunately, other things

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The Smallest of Actions Means More than the Greatest of Intents

jasonmachowsky

2 min

The Smallest of Actions Means More than the Greatest of Intents

Even Small Steps Lead You Toward Your Destination Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net Most of us want to live a little bit better. Be a little stronger. Look a little better. Feel a little more in control. We can talk about how we need to go to the gym more eat less “junk food”…while sitting around and eating chips. Our logical minds know we should do something better…but somehow we still don’t do anything about it. Why? Keeping the status quo is easier, because that requires

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Sedentary Jobs: Why They Suck and How to Deal With Them

jasonmachowsky

2 min

Sedentary Jobs: Why They Suck and How to Deal With Them

Burning Calories? Not So Much. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net Many of us are spending more and more time at work these days, getting in early or staying late to deal with increasing demands. As a result, we’re eating more meals away from home, which can often lead to non-ideal nutrition decisions, especially if we go many hours between meals. Paired with an increasing rate of sedentary jobs (a.k.a. jobs where we do little more than sit on our butts and type all day),

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Replace Social Eating with Social Activity Once a Week: Small Change, Big Results

jasonmachowsky

3 min

Replace Social Eating with Social Activity Once a Week: Small Change, Big Results

Dancing…Fun For the Whole Family! Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net For many of us, spending time with friends or family means food. Hey, we’ve gotta eat, right? So why not do it with others? In fact, a relationship-building book was written about it, “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi. But what are we usually eating when we socialize with others? Salads and green smoothies? Or buffet-style pot lucks with a few glasses of wine or beer? Or a three course dinner at a restaura

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Thoughts on Meal Frequency, Calorie Restriction & Weight Loss

jasonmachowsky

6 min

Thoughts on Meal Frequency, Calorie Restriction & Weight Loss

Is this from all day, or just dinner? Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net America sure likes its dinner. While other countries view lunch as the biggest meal of the day and dinner as a “don’t go to bed hungry” snack, our busy schedules don’t give us a chance to breathe or eat until 6, 7, 8 PM. And then the feast is on! I’ve talked to a number of people whose daily eating habits sound like riding a roller coaster: Wake up not very hungry – Maybe a piece of toast and some coffee

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Mastering the Art of Regression: Body Awareness & the Pushup

jasonmachowsky

4 min

Mastering the Art of Regression: Body Awareness & the Pushup

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Making an exercise harder is easy: do more reps, choose a heavier weight, go faster, etc. But some of the most “basic” exercises such as pushups or squats are beyond the ability a number of people. And I’m not just talking about the ability to do it…I’m also talking about the ability to do it right. My time working at Hospital for Special Surgery and Hamilton Health and Fitness over the past year has given me an even greater appreciatio

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jasonmachowsky

3 min

One for the Weight Gainers…

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Obesity is an epidemic and because of this, most of the research out there focuses on weight loss. However I wanted to provide a shout out to those who have trouble gaining weight. While many of us may view “hard gainers” (the title given to those who need to work to gain weight) as people with a “good” problem, talk to any of them and you will find out that they have just as many frustrations involved in gaining 15 to 20 pounds as

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Three of the Most Despised, Yet Misunderstood Words in Health and Wellness Discussed: Part 3

jasonmachowsky

3 min

Three of the Most Despised, Yet Misunderstood Words in Health and Wellness Discussed: Part 3

Image: imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net These words are used so often in the field that either myths about their meaning have arisen or the images associated with their use creates a sense of frustration in those who are trying to live a healthier lifestyle. But when we dig down into their origins and true meanings, we’ll see that the words themselves can provide a renewed sense of meaning to our journey towards eating better and being physically active. Today’s word:

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Three of the Most Despised, Yet Misunderstood Words in Health and Wellness Discussed: Part 2

jasonmachowsky

5 min

Three of the Most Despised, Yet Misunderstood Words in Health and Wellness Discussed: Part 2

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net These words are used so often in the field that either myths about their meaning have arisen or the images associated with their use creates a sense of frustration in those who are trying to live a healthier lifestyle. But when we dig down into their origins and true meanings, we’ll see that the words themselves can provide a renewed sense of meaning to our journey towards eating better and being physically active. Today’s word: Moderati

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Three of the Most Misunderstood Words in Health and Wellness: Part 1

jasonmachowsky

3 min

Three of the Most Misunderstood Words in Health and Wellness: Part 1

Image: nixxphotography / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Over the next few blog posts, I will be discussing three of the most commonly despised, yet misunderstood words in the health and wellness field. These words have been used so much in the field that either myths about their meaning have arisen or the images associated with their use creates a sense of dread in those who are trying to live a healthier lifestyle. But when we dig down into their origins and true meanings, we’ll se

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jasonmachowsky

3 min

The Power of Support

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net First, a simple question: If you haven’t already, please go to Facebook (or click on the icon on the right) and like Death of the Diet! Why am I asking this right now? Because I’m starting to finally realize the power of support, especially from people who care about you and your efforts. (Note, this was written in 2012 as I worked on writing Death of the Diet) Over the past month or so I’ve been letting it “slip” (or just pl

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jasonmachowsky

1 min

The Truth Behind “Super”foods

Are Blueberries an affordable Superfood? Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Becca, my fiancee, came across this article and I thought it was fantastic. It discussed the idea of “superfoods”, and addressed which foods are really “worth” our bang for the buck. Unsurprisingly, most of the exotic foods were either overpriced, lost much of their nutrient value in transit, or both. Instead of these catchy but overpriced foods, most of the recommended “superfoods”

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jasonmachowsky

3 min

Diets…When Science Meets Gimmick

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net I’ve been in Florida on vacation the past few days and I came across an article in a local newspaper describing a “dark chocolate” diet run by a psychotherapist that involves: Drinking shakes, eating high-quality dark chocolate as snacks and a “reasonable” dinner resulting in around 1500 calories a day for men, and 1200 calories for women. A series of behavior modification sessions with the psychotherapist designed to have you

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There’s No Such Thing as Failure…Only Feedback

jasonmachowsky

4 min

There’s No Such Thing as Failure…Only Feedback

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net We all make mistakes. Sometimes we miss a workout. Sometimes we have that cookie we knew we really did not need or want. Sometimes we just wanted those French fries. These things happen, but the more important factor than the mistake itself is our RESPONSE to the mistake. We can’t think of a single mistake to represent failure. We must look at it as feedback and as an “improvement opportunity”. Let me give you a very recent per

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